If you suffer from sudden attacks of excruciating head pain, you know that it’s impossible to live with migraines, so you may focus on living in spite of migraines. You can’t carry out mundane daily activities, you constantly turn down social invitations, you miss major life events, and your relationships suffer. It’s easy to feel helpless and hopeless.
But many migraine sufferers have found both help and hope through chiropractic care. Dr. Dana Robinson at Peninsula RSI Chiropractic Wellness Center in Redwood City, California, sees many patients desperately seeking relief from the debilitating pain of migraines, and she delivers with strategic spinal manipulation.
Understanding migraines
When you have a migraine attack, the blood vessels in your head expand or dilate. This, in turn, causes swelling in the surrounding tissues and the trademark debilitating pain in your head that makes you nauseous and blurs your vision.
Researchers and physicians don’t know exactly what causes some people to get migraines. They suspect that the condition is caused by imbalances in the brain’s chemistry (especially serotonin) and the interactions with the trigeminal nerve. Regardless of whether the problem stems from genetics or environmental factors, it is an extremely prevalent neurological disease that affects 39 million people in the US and a billion people around the world.
Avoiding migraine triggers
Although the cause for the condition of migraine is not fully understood, we do know a few things that trigger the headaches. These are highly individual and not the same for everyone, but it’s very important that you identify your personal triggers by keeping a migraine diary that records your diet, activity, stress level, and environmental factors leading up to your headache. Common triggers include:
- Hormone changes
- Bright lights
- Loud noises
- Strong smells
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Certain foods and drinks (alcohol, caffeine, preservatives)
- High stress
- Weather changes
- Sleep changes
- Medications
By knowing and avoiding your triggers, you can sidestep many migraine episodes.
Getting treatment for migraines
There are medications available that attempt to prevent migraines and medications that may help to mitigate a migraine attack if taken at the earliest warning signs, but reliance on mediation is never ideal. Side effects and potential dependency are two of the main concerns.
Dr. Robinson prefers a more natural approach. As an experienced chiropractor, she understands the vital relationship between your spine and other parts of your body, including blood vessels and nerves.
Her precise hands-on manipulation can realign your vertebrae and relieve muscle tension that may be compressing nerves. This, in turn, restores normal blood flow and reduces the frequency and severity of your migraine attacks.
Depending on your physical condition and nature of your migraines, Dr. Robinson develops a customized treatment plan that may include:
- Spinal manipulation
- Spinal decompression
- Massage therapy
- Electrical stimulation
- Posture and ergonomic correction
- Lifestyle nutritional counseling to identify triggers
- Stress management
- Exercise
When migraines affect your daily routine and make it impossible to go to work, school, or important events, it may be time to explore the benefits of all-natural chiropractic care. To book a consultation with Dr. Robinson, call us today or request an appointment online.